Box-forming machine



(No Model.)

N0.v502,v320.

Vlfllliam/Sjee Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENTY OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. RICE, OF ELVIRA, IOWA.

BOX-FORMING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,320, dated August1, 1893.

Application filed March 3, 1892. Serial No. 423,681- (NO model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. RICE, `a citizen of the United States,residing at Elvira, in the county of Clinton and State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Section- Press, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of box machines whichare employed to make up or bend up from a previously formed blank,square or angular frames or sections, such as are employed for holdinghoney, &c., and the object of my invention is to provide a simple andeffective machine which shall, at one operation, bend up and form from apreviously cutblank provided with registering dovetails in its oppositeends, a frame of this character, said dovetailed ends being interlockedautomatically during the operation.

My invention will be hereinafter fully described and its novel featurescarefully defined in the claims.

In order that my invention may be the better understood I haveillustrated in the accompanyingl drawings a machine of this characterembodying my improvements, in which drawings Figure l is "a perspectiveView of the front of a machine made according to my invention, showing ablank in place on the blank platform and the several parts of themachine in their inoperative position, and Fig. 2 is a similarperspective View of the rear of the machine, showing the parts in thesame position. Fig. 3 is avertical, axial section showing the parts ofthe machine in the position seen in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is aperspective View of the upright plunger, detached. Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of the blank platform broken away at its side to showthe folder for the opposite corners of the blank, and Fig. 6 is anenlarged view of the tripper for automatically discharging the blankafter eachoneration of the machine. Fig. 7 is a View of the blank, ascreased and dovetailed ready for folding, and Fig. 8 is a broken planview of the platform with a section in position within the notch of theplatform, and also with the folding block within the section.

A represents the upright posts two 1n number, joined at the top by across piece A and provided with feet AX, forming the frame work of themachine. The inner faces of the uprights A, A, are provided withlongitudinal grooves or guide ways a, a. Mounted on the front face ofeach of said uprights A, are face plates B, which extend out on eitherside of said uprights forming wings, and leaving a guide way or spaceequal in width to the space between the uprights, between them asclearly seen in the drawings, and across the front of these face platesis mounted the blank platform C, consisting of a prismatic block ofproper width to receive the blankm, laid across it, as seen in Fig. 1,and having a cavity or recess formed therein at or near its center. Thiscavity has perpendicular side walls c, c, and is wide enough to receivethe frame when bent as seen in dotted lines in Fig. l, and its bottom isformed of two sloping sides c', c', meeting at a right angle, so as toconform to the angle of the corner of the frame when bent.

Mounted to play in the vertical space between the uprights A, is asectional plunger composed of three parts, the two end sections of whichI, call plungers D, and E, and the other one or middle section orportion I call a slide block F. One of the plungers, D is provided withside guides b, Zi, engaging and playing vertically in the slots a, insaid uprights. Secured to this plunger at or near its bottom are twofoot rests or steps DX, DX, one on either face ofthe machine, wherebythe same is adapted to be operated from" either side or face.

Guides b, h, extend up beyond the plunger D, and are secured at theirupper ends to a second plunger E, which forms the folder or striker forlocking the free dovet-ailed ends of the blank and is provided with abevel recessed lower face e, conforming in shape to the angle of thecorner of the frame when folded. Said plungers D and E are fixed to theguides h, b, at their sides and movetogether and with the same, andguided on said guides h, l), between said plungers is a slide block F,fitting loosely between the uprights A, and resting upon the upper endor head of the lower plunger D. This slide block F forms the folder forthe central angle or crease of the blank (see Fig. 7) and is keptpressed down, normally against the plunger TOO ` D, by a spring f,working on a pin f', secured to slide block F, and playing through ahole in plungerB, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. In order to secure theproper length for said spring a recess is formed in the upper end ofslide block F, wherein the spring works as will be readily understood,

A spiral spring d, secured at one end to plunger -D and at its other endto the cross piece A', serves to keep said plunger together with plungerE and block F, normally elevated to the position seen in the drawings.

On the face of the slide block F at the top thereof, as shown herein, isformed orl secured the folder F', which has, as seen an angular lowerface FX, corresponding to the inside.

lower angle of the frame or section when formed, and a plain flat upperface, with a correspondingly beveled f ace on either side, conforming tothe two upper inner faces of the folded frame.

Mounted in recesses g, g, in the respective inner side walls oftherccess in the blank platform C, are the corner folders G, moreclearly seen in Fig. 5. These guides ,are formed of two thin metalplates of an L-shape pivoted at or near the meeting angle of theirbranches at the joint between the respective faces c, and c', of saidrecess. As shown the upper arms of these plates G are provided withretracting springs G', G', whereby they are normally drawn back into therecesses g protruding the lower arms out from said recesses beyond thewalls of the recess in the blank platform, as seen in the drawings (Fig.5).

The operationof the device, so far as Vdescribed is as follows: A blankhaving been placed across the blank platform the operator depresses theplunger D, by pressing down on the rest D with the foot, drawing downthe slide block F, by reason of the pressure of the spring f, thereon,until the central angle FX, of the block F strikes the central crease ofthe blank Further movement of said plunger bends said blank down intothe recess of the blank platform, taking into the angle formed by thelower faces c', c', of said recess. As the blank is pressed down, it isobvious that the lower arm of plate G will be pressed back into therecess g, distending spring G and protruding the' upper arm of saidplate out of said recess against the sides of the blank, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 5, whereby the second angle or corner of the framewill be bent over inward. The former or folding plate F' has, as beforestated, a dat, upper portion and on either side of this attened part abeveled incline F2, the angle of which corresponds with the angle of theinner side or face of the frame, when bent, and the spacing and lengthof the 'respective arms of plate or lever G, are such that, when saidblank is pressed irmly down against the lower bevels c', of the recessin the blank platform, pressing the lower arms of the respective leversGin flush with said surfaces C' the upper arms of said levers will bethrown out suficiently to press the upper arms or plies of the blankover almost against the beveled surfaces F2 of plate F', until the upperdovetailed edges of the folded blank rest against oneanotherbut donotinterlock by reason of the tightness of fit necessary in thedovetails. The pressure of the foot on rest DX being continued, andplunger D being drawn down still farther, after the blank has beensquarely and iirmly pressed down by block F' against the lower beveledface of the cavity in the blank platform, beyond which point the saidblock F' cannot descend, the spring fis compressed and the two plungersD and E connected by their guides, descend together until the beveledrecess in the lower face of the block-or striker E on plunger E strikessharply against the upper dovetailed edges of the'blank held together bythe pressure of the springs communicated through block F' and plates G.The inclined surface e of the block E' being at an angle a littlegreater than that of the ends of the block, the dovetails in said endsare forced into one another,

and interlock as will be readily understood,

whereby the rectangular frame or section is formed, as seen in dottedlines in Fig. 7. The pressure is now relaxed on the rest DX, and thesprings f, G' and d, retract the parts to their former positions, theblock F' in its upward movement carrying the frame with it.

In order to automatically discharge or throw the newly formed frame fromthe block F', I provide the mechanism I will now describe, referencebeing had more particularly to Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 6,for illustration.Mountedin longitudinal slots a', d', formed in the front faces of theuprights A, and extending through the face plates B, are two elongatediiat trippers H, pivoted near their upper ends by pinsvh, set in saiduprights, and adapted when not in use to lie down in said grooves ct',ush with the faces of said uprights. These trippers are of the form seenin Fig. 6, andhaye an ear h' near the upper end which whenjthe tripperis in its inoperative position, pro-""- trudes from the groove a'. Fixedto the side IOO of the block E' are two operating fingers I,

the spring d, throwing the tripper out of its groove as seen in Fig. 1.Said, lingers I will be so set with reference to the ear h' that theplunger will have moved almost its whole travel before said partsengage, and the ends of said fingers will be, by preference, arrangedslightly below the opposite corners of the blank when lifted by the saidblock F', to the position in which said block is seen in Fig. l, so thatsaid trippers shall properly strike the frame and throw it off theblock. In order to provide further assurance that the trippers shallproperly engage the frame I cut o the opposite angles or corners of theblock F as seen, and set the grooves for the trippers somewhat insidethe point at which the corners of the blank rest.

In order to insure that the plunger E shall strike fairly upon thefolded blank to prevent the splitting of the same, as well as to serveas a guide in placing the blanks on the platform, I prefer to providesaid platform with light clips j, j, as seen, which hold the blank upclose against the face plate B. And on the block E', I provide a secondclip ex, as seen in Figs. l, 3 and 4, which as the plunger descends,takes over the upper angle of the folded blank and insures the properengagement of the dovetailing.

It will be seen that my invention as above described, is capable ofconsiderable modification as to arrangement and construction withoutdeparting materially therefrom, and I do not, therefore, limit myself totheparticular construction shown. Nor is my invention limited in itsapplication to the making of honey frames, for it may with very littlealteration, be used for making boxes or frames for other purposes aswell.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a section press, thecombination with a blank platform provided with an angular notch in itsupper surface, of an automatic folder pivotally secured at each side ofsaid notch and a plunger for forcing the blanks n into said notch,substantially as set forth.

, forth.

3. In a section press, the combination with a blank platform providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface the walls of said platformbeing provided with recesses at each side, intersecting said notch, of afolder pivoted in each of said recesses, and having an arm projectinginto the notch, and a plunger for forcing the blanks into said notch,substantially as set forth.

4. In a section press, the combination with the blank platform, providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface, of a folder at each side ofsaid notch, a plunger for forcing the blanks into said notch and astriker, having on its lower side two striking surfaces, whereby thedovetailed ends of said blanks are interlocked, substantially as setforth.

5. In a section press, the combination with the blank platform, providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface, of a folder at each side ofsaid notch, a plunger for forcing the blanks into said notch and anautomatic tripper for discharging the folded sections, substantially asset forth.

6. In a section press, the combination with a blank platform providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface, of a folder at each side ofsaid notch, a plunger for forcing the blanks into said notch, and atripper on each side of said notch behind said plunger and `having aprojection arranged in the path thereof, whereby the folded sections aredischarged, substantially as set forth.

7. In a section press, the combination with the blank platform providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface, of a folder at each side ofsaid notch, a plunger for forcing the blanks into said notch and astriker having a beveled recess in its lower face, substantially as setforth.

8. In a section press, the combination with the frame having verticalguide Ways therein, of the blank platform secured thereto and providedwith an angular notch in its upper surface, a plunger mounted in saidguide ways in the frame, the middle portion of which is provided with aformer for forcing the blanks into said notch and is spring actuated andmoves upon the connections of the other two parts, substantially as setforth.

9. In a section press, the combination with the longitudinally groovedstandards provided with a blank platform of a sectional plunger mountedtherein the end sections being connected by means of two strips theedges of which project beyond the sides of the sections and iit withinthe grooves of the standards, and the middle section is grooved at itssides and fit-s upon the guide ways and means for operating the plunger,substantially as set forth.

l0. In a section press, the combination, with a blank platform providedwith an automatic folder, one portion of which folder normally liesWithin the plane of movement of the object to be folded, below the jointto be formed, and is movable out of said plane, and another portion ofsaid folder is automatically movable into the plane of movement of saidobject to be folded, above said joint, and aplunger for engaging withthe obj ect, substantially as set forth.

WILLIAM S. RICE. Witnesses:

WM. C. ECKHART, J oHN CARLSON.

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